Albacete, September 15: The King is dead; long live the King?
Today marked not only El Juli’s farewell appearance in Albacete, but also his final cartel alongside Andrés Roca Rey. The young Peruvian, now the clear No.1 in terms of his ability to draw spectators to Europe’s bullrings, marked the occasion by making a lengthy brindis to the retiring maestro prior to his faena to his opening bull.
Albacete had pulled out all the stops to mark the madrileño’s final corrida in the city. Yesterday, El Juli had watched the bullfight from the callejón and also attended the unveiling of a plaque to local ganadero Daniel Ruiz, who’d died earlier in the year and whose ganadería was supplying most of the bulls (two had been rejected in favour of jandillas) for today’s festejo - this, perhaps, explained why there was no brindis to the heavens during the corrida itself. As the toreros, Paco Ureña alongside the other two, stepped out into the arena, there were posters placed around the sand saying, “Hasta siempre… maestro”, and presentations were made to Julián before his first bull came through the gate.
That bull, ‘Adrián’, turned out to be one of the two jandillas and was well armed but protested initially for its novillo-like appearance (it was actually the second heaviest of the day at 509 kilos, most of today’s bulls being in the 480s). There was no artistic opening capework apart from a delantal or two, but, after a single vara (commonplace now in Albacete), Julián produced a fine quite of chicuelinas and a revolera.
The faena that followed was absolutely superb, worthy, I thought, of the bull’s tail. It was one of those where the matador has no trouble gauging charging distances or his own positioning and embarks on impressive passes right from the start and continues them through to the finish. El Juli produced series of linked passes on both hands, three successive tandas of derechazos bringing some in the crowd to their feet. He ended with luquesinas and an estocada caída, after which the bull spent a long time dying, falling to the ground a number of times, only to get up again, El Juli and the spectators applauding. After it fell for the last time, its matador was awarded two ears and ‘Adrián’ a questionable vuelta en arrastre.
How do you follow a faena like that? Well, if you’re Paco Ureña, you do it in a calm and honest way, with no theatrics, rather a concentration on the essential basics of toreo puro. The murciano began with templadas verónicas and delantales, and, following a quite of gaoneras (the lances getting rougher as they went on), dedicated to Daniel Ruiz hijo. Pases estatuarios to begin the faena were followed in the main by derechazos, Paco stretching them out, until unfortunately the bull signalled it had had enough by retreating to las tablas. Here, Paco engaged in arrimón before collecting the sword and delivering an estocada caída. The matador is popular in Albacete (it is, after all, the plaza where he lost an eye during another strong performance) and the crowd successfully petitioned for an ear to be awarded.
Another small-looking animal (and the second consecutive to have bizco horns) emerged for Andrés Roca Rey, who was wearing an unusual and attractive traje. There was little initial capework, but after a quite of linked chicuelinas, tafalleras, a saltillera and revolera, which won applause, Andrés brought out El Juli for the brindis mentioned earlier. The Peruvian then got down on his knees for a series of derechazos, including a pase de espalda. Back up on his feet, he soon moved the cloth to the left hand to bring off some very good series of naturales. However, he got too confident and spent too much time on a farol, being caught by the bull as a result. It was another cogida to add to the several Roca Rey has experienced this season, this time fortunately without harm. He returned to face the bull, urging the band to start up playing once more, and produced more excellent series of naturales and derechazos before closing with manoletinas ajustadas and luquesinas. A complete performance ended with an estocada caída that soon felled the bull and the award of two merited ears.
Another deserved ear came El Juli’s way after an effective estocada to the fourth bull - an animal dedicated to the plaza, albeit one that wouldn’t lower its head in the faena, Julián nevertheless managing to achieve a respectable performance with it.
Paco Ureña began his second lidia with some superb verónicas and began the final tercio with a dedication to the public. The faena was a decent one, with some templados muletazos, but it was spoilt by Paco losing the cloth to the bull a couple of times and an ending of six pinchazos. The matador received an ovation.
Today’s second jandilla received few capotazos but some well-executed banderillas from Antonio Chacón. This time, Roca Rey dedicated to the plaza and began the faena with doblones before going on to produce more close series of derechazos and naturales, turning the bull, and chest passes that liberated man and beast alike. He closed with manoletinas once more before taking the bull to near the barrera, where he gave the animal trincheras, pases ayudados and de pecho. We were on for another two-ear award until the swordwork went awry - six pinchazos were delivered before things ended to silence.
This had been a memorable corrida, however - and it duly ended with the past and present kings being carried out together on shoulders.
